The refrigerator is one of those modern conveniences that we just can't live without. After all, we need to keep our food cold, and there's no alternative, right?
Well, maybe there is. This great video from Household Hacker (which we were tipped off to by the good people at Grist) shows how millenia-old technology that uses absolutely zero energy can actually... work. And it works quite well: using nothing but sand, water, and two flower pots, these guys are able to effectively chill a handful of beers on a hot day. Pretty cool.
Although a flower pot most likely isn't a viable alternative to electric refrigeration for day to day use, the flower pot fridge nonetheless makes us rethink some assumptions about modern energy use (and could be a fun project for the kids -- just, you know, replace the beer with some root beer).
Comments
Right on. This why wineskins or botas function best when soaked and the soldiers in the civil war and such had wool sides on their canteens. Most every boy scout learned this as a tenderfoot.
Posted by Anonymous on Aug 3, 2011 9:13pmthat was the coolest thing ever.
Posted by Anonymous on Aug 4, 2011 11:53am